


Pokemon Chaos: The Manic and Scourge Saga

by Caydebug



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character Development, Crime, Crossover, Embarrassment, Existential Crisis, Friendship, Gen, Multi, Museums, Original Pokemon, Original Pokemon Region, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Personal Growth, Pokemon Battles, Pokemon Journey, Self-Indulgent, Slapstick, Swearing, Vulnerability, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:54:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29120790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caydebug/pseuds/Caydebug
Summary: This story takes place in the fake region of Mobia, following Pokemon Trainers Manic and Scourge on their journey to the Pokemon League as they meet up with some familiar faces, discover some interesting new Pokemon, solve exciting mysteries, and take down a looming threat that threatens to destroy the world as they know it, the bond between themselves and their Pokemon growing stronger every day. What awaits our heroes (and Scourge) on their quest to become the greatest? Stay tuned for more!This is still a work in progress. I'll try to update it as much as I can, at least when my mental health allows it. Comments are appreciated! I love reading feedback and peoples' opinions on my work!
Relationships: Manic the Hedgehog/Scourge the Hedgehog, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Kudos: 5





	1. A Second Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scourge, after running away from a mysterious and powerful evil organization and taking a big fall, ends up in some kind of endless black void. Gaining a new purpose in life, but given no direction, he is dumped into a strange and unfamiliar world and meets a potential friend.

* * *

Darkness.

A never-ending expanse of darkness, the deep black only interrupted by tiny specks of light far off in the distance. Stars?

He looked down. Pancham was curled up, eyes closed tightly as it shivered in the hedgehog’s arms. He tried to speak, but no words came out. All he could hear was the ringing in his ears and the distant sound of echoing wind. All this, accompanied by this strange feeling of floaty weightlessness. What was this place? How did they end up here?

... Running.

He remembered running. There were… People yelling. Lots of them. Barking, snarling Houndoom... Maybe something else? He wasn’t sure.

Somewhere, he went off the path.

 _'Never_ _go off the path'_ , dad said.

 _'It's dAnGeRoUs',_ he said.

Bullshit. If you and your only friend in the world are being hunted down by some bastard mob grunts and their literal hell hounds, you’d go off the path. You’d go anywhere. The problem is that the Pokémon aren’t afraid to follow. Once you step off that well-traveled dirt road, you’re in _their world_ , and they have no rules.

Not like there were any rules to begin with. As far as he could remember, they were always in charge. Those weird packs of humans in funny outfits, chasing people down, stealing their Pokémon, trying to awaken forgotten gods and destroy anything or any _one_ that got in their way. Dad… That idiot tried to fix it, all on his own. Left with nothing but Dewott and the clothes on his back. The fool. Probably didn’t last long. He never came home, not like that was a surprise. Dumbass would rather die trying to be a hero than take care of his own damn kid, the bastard...

In a world with no rules, there was nothing preventing people from, oh… Sending their land sharks after you to slice you in half, or commanding a pack of _giant demon dogs_ to chase after _some kid_ who just wanted some _fucking_ food that _wasn’t those god damn berries._ Fair, maybe he stole _a bit more than food_ , but they had literally _everything_. They could afford to lose whatever the hell he managed to smuggle out of there.

That’s what happened.

He stole some junk, got caught, they chased him, and he slipped. Too bad there happened to be a 200 foot sheer drop down the mountainside...

That was a long fall.

He couldn’t remember a single thing about it.

No tumbling in the snow.

No smashing his skull on the rocks.

No pain.

... Did he die?

That felt like the only possibility... If this was hell, it wasn’t anything like he expected it to be. Less of a fiery burning pit within the depths of the earth, and more...

Quiet.

Empty.

_Lonely._

He remembered the little panda shivering in his arms, and his heart sank.

_Fuck._

If his stupid decisions lead to both his _and_ his best friend's death, he’d-... He’d-...

What _would_ he do? Can’t do much to punish yourself if you’re already dead. At least... He assumed so. His ears flattened against his head as the feeling of guilt grew stronger and stronger. This thing didn’t do anything wrong, it just... Followed him. _He_ was the idiot who did all the bad shit and made all the stupid decisions. _He’s_ the one who led them to that one point where everything went downhill. This was all _his_ fault.

A strange noise interrupted his thoughts.  
It sounded like something breathing down his neck.  
Something larger than life itself, in a way. It filled this infinitely empty space and echoed around him. It made him feel… _Really small._ Smaller than he already felt.

_He hated that._

He wanted to shout something. _Anything_ , really. To snap at whatever the hell was in here with him. It was unnerving. Something _had_ to be making that noise. He couldn’t possibly be alone in this place...

“ _You._ ”

_Shit, the noise talks._

Scourge looked around frantically, trying to figure out what the hell was talking to him. The sound was coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It felt like he was upside-down. He wanted to yell, but despite his efforts, nothing happened. He couldn’t even hear air coming out of his mouth. Just... Nothingness.

Suddenly, the floaty feeling dissipated, and he fell.He would have screamed, but ended up landing directly on his head, collapsing weakly onto...

The...

... Ground?

He sat up, shaking off the pain from the fall. He wasn’t sitting on anything, just... More void. He didn’t like this. Not at all. What was solid and what wasn’t? He checked over Pancham, who was still nestled in his arms. At least he was okay... That was one of the few things he cared about at this point.

He could hear himself breathing now. Maybe…

 _“What’s the big deal?”_ He yelled. There was a tone of fear in his voice as he continued to scan the area. He felt... Unsafe, to say the least. _“Hello?"_

“You’ve gotten into a lot of trouble, haven’t you?”

Scourge tensed up. His quills stood on end. “Y-... _Yeah?”_ He called out, holding Pancham close to his chest. _“What’s it to you!? Why don't you come down here and face me, ya coward!”_

“If that is what you desire... So be it.”

A ball of light appeared before the hedgehog, who flinched and tried to cover his eyes. When he peeked out from between his fingers, there was an odd, horse-like beast, staring down at him menacingly. It was pure white, with a golden ring surrounding its midsection and a halo of light shining from somewhere behind it.

Scourge was speechless. Too scared to scream. To move. He simply sat there with his mouth hanging open, barely breathing as he stared at the creature.

_Arceus._

“Interesting." The creature said plainly. "You’re confident, but only until you realize what you’re facing is much greater than yourself. It is bold of you to label others as cowardly when you, yourself, are the very thing you look down upon.”

“I-...” Scourge managed to say, stunned. “I... _You-...!_ ”

 _He just called one of the most powerful Pokémon in existence a coward._ What the hell was he supposed to say? _Sorry, God. I didn’t mean it, I won’t do it again?_ Bullshit. This must’ve been some shitty dream. Some fucked up hallucination he was experiencing before he _actually_ died. He was probably lying face down in the snow somewhere on Twist Mountain, slowly succumbing to the cold. That made _way_ more sense than whatever this was.

“If I’m dead, or-... _Or dying, or whatever…_ ” The hedgehog said meekly, still genuinely afraid of this thing towering over him. It was _at least_ three or four times his size, if not more. “Could you save Pancham...?”

The beast stared down at him as he revealed the small creature in his arms, still curled up and absolutely terrified. It lowered its head to get a better look, then its gaze met Scourge’s. It felt like it was judging him in the strangest way... Like it was staring directly into his soul. It was paralyzing.

Scourge looked down and off to the side, not wanting to make eye contact anymore. The wave of guilt washed over him once more. He hated every second of this. “He didn’t do anything. He was just followin’ me around, that’s all...” He took a deep, shaky breath. Why did he feel so terrible about this? “ _Please._ I mean-... _If you can._ If you want to! _Fuck_ , I-”

“You do not need to beg. I am able.”

The hedgehog looked up again. The creature had its head raised, looking down at the two of them once more. He sniffled quietly, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand. He wasn't doing a very good job at hiding just how stressed out this whole experience was making him.

“I do not personally conference each individual after death, you know.”

He shifted uncomfortably, not sure what else to do in this situation. You can’t just fiddle with your fingers when you’re talking to the thing that created the whole damn universe. “Was I _that bad?_ ”

“Your asking reveals some semblance of a conscience.” The Pokemon stated, its gaze remaining unwaveringly fixed on Scourge. "Do not be afraid, I have no ill will towards you. In truth, I have brought you here to make a request."

Scourge looked down again. He felt strangely humble in this situation. “What’re you saying?” He asked. There couldn’t possibly be anything important he was meant to do. He could run fast and be an asshole. Those were his two skills, as far as he knew.

“Something has hurt you in the past, in both heart and soul. You retain the ability to be just and kind, but you do not allow yourself to act on your true feelings, fearing that others will falsely perceive it as weakness. You are afraid that, once again, you will be hurt by the ones you care for most. However, I am willing to give you a second chance."

He took a deep breath through his nose, struggling to process the evisceration of his character. He elected to ignore it for the time being. “Let me get this straight… You think I can be a good person, so you’re just gonna let me come back from the dead after being a total dumbass and falling off a cliff after stealing a bunch of shit?” He asked, looking up at the creature once more. “What’s the catch?

“There is no more to this than what I have told you. The point of the matter is that I require your assistance, and for that, you must be alive, but if you would like to refuse my offer, you may. I will not deny you the option to do so.”

Scourge thought about this for a moment. He could either die in a pathetic and stupid way, or take the chance to do-... _Whatever the hell this thing wanted him to._ He nodded, trying to force a smile now that he felt that he wasn’t really in danger. Quite the opposite, actually. “Well, in that case... Sure. I’ll do your thing for ya. Where to?”  
“That is something you will have to discover for yourself.”

“Wait, what? You’ve _gotta_ be kidding me! No directions? No big speech about some epic quest? Not even a-”  
  
Arceus lowered its head once more, then reared back, lifting its front legs in the air as a glowing circle appeared on the ground around the hedgehog. He could feel a strange power buzzing through him. It felt… Warm. Energizing. The Pokémon let out a shrill, almost metallic cry, and the area within the circle flashed white, which revealed what looked like a window into an area he didn’t have time to recognize.

He fell.

He screamed.

Pancham cried.

He closed his eyes.

The ground was coming fast.

The darkness had returned.

* * *

Something poked him.

He could hear it breathing quickly.

Was it... Smelling him?

He felt like he had been hit by a truck. Every muscle in his body was tired and sore. He managed to open one eye, reaching up to push whatever was near him away and moaning softly. His vision was terribly blurry, and his eyes watered at the mere hint of sunlight. _“Hey, back off...”_

There was a strange hiss noise made in response by... _Whatever it was_ as he heard it scramble away, followed by a crunchy rustling sound. All he saw was a curly black tail before it disappeared.

He shook his head, rubbed his eyes, and blinked tiredly. As he sat up, he realized he was sitting in a pile of leaves. Looked like he was in the middle of some forest... Pancham was curled up nearby, asleep on his back. At least he was okay after… _All that._ How were they even alive? He scratched at his neck, then reached for his pocket...

His jacket.

_Where was his jacket?_

He felt like a complete moron. Here he was, in the middle of the woods, tired, in pain, and practically naked, sitting in a pile of dirty leaves filled with _who knows what_ after falling from some kind of sky portal. Stupid… Looking up, he noticed a hole in the canopy of leaves above him. There were some broken branches, a couple feathers floating on the wind, a few of his quills stuck through some leaves...

 _There it was!_ Hanging from the bough of a tree.

_Great._

He managed to get to his feet, shuffling along before making an attempt to climb up.

A really bad attempt.

A really, super bad, very embarrassing attempt.

He couldn’t climb trees for shit. He could barely get a grip on the thing, trying to hop up and kick around the base of the trunk. Horrible. Fences? Sure. Sheer-faced brick walls? No problem. A tree? Hardest thing in the world, for some reason. Idiot.

Then, the jacket landed on his face. He fell, not expecting the sudden blindness, shouting in confusion as he struggled to get it off his head. There was a dull thump next to him and a hand gently lifted a corner of the jacket up. He found himself staring into a pair of bright pink eyes, a friendly face smiling back at him.

“You good, man?” The person asked, smirking. Something chittered nearby.

Scourge was stunned for a moment, then growled, whipping the jacket off his head and throwing it behind him. _“Who wants to know!?”_ He snapped. He was still pissed off from his failed attempts at scaling the tree.

The person backed up a few steps, grinning and still snickering quietly. It was a hedgehog. A bit on the short side, but not by much. He-... _He assumed it was a he..._ Had _very messy quills_ , a few bent over and hanging in front of his eyes. Two gold rings dangled from his left ear. He had a bright orange-red vest and a fanny pack on his hip in the same color, along with some beat up old red and white sneakers. They looked like they had seen much better days. A black Rattata with oddly shaped whiskers and messy fur sat on his shoulder, still making that chittering noise.

 _It was laughing at him, the little shit_...

“Oh, nobody. Just thought I’d ask.” The scruffy-looking stranger held up a Pokéball, showing it to him. It had a crudely drawn Dark type symbol scratched into the red paint, revealing the matte black plastic underneath. “You lose somethin’?”

Scourge blinked. He patted himself down quickly, looked around, then snatched the ball from the mystery man, grumbling to himself. _“I didn’t need your help.”_

The other hedgehog shrugged. His Rattata did the same, mimicking him. “Sure, dude.”

 _“Rattata!”_ The critter added, looking at the hedgehog. Its tail twitched and it started to rub its face, making the hissing sound again.

“Oh, yeah! Lunch time…” The hedgehog said quietly, rolling his eyes. “I almost forgot.” He looked back at Scourge, holding a hand out and sitting up straight. “Name’s Manic! What’s yours?”

Scourge stared at his hand for a second. Was this a joke? Some kind of trap? He didn’t trust this guy, but reluctantly decided to grab his hand, gripping it tightly. Almost angrily. _“Scourge…”_

The annoyingly cheerful stranger seemed pleased by this, then noticed his grip getting stronger. His smile wavered as he shook his hand quickly, then pulled his own away, taking a look at his fingers as if to see if they were still there. _“Ow..._ Heh, nice grip.” He smiled again, trying to lighten the mood, even if it was just a bit. “Say, wanna hop over to the next town with us? Looks like you could use a bite to eat.”

The grumpy hedgehog thought about this. Sure, he wasn’t 100% trusting of this guy, but honestly? He looked too stupid to be dangerous, and there was no way he would pass up the chance to get some free food. He picked his jacket up off the ground and stood up, slipping it on, dusting it off, and adjusting the collar. “Don’t see why not...” He directed his attention towards the baby panda snoozing on the ground, took a deep breath, and turned on his heel, cupping his hands around his mouth.

“‘Ey! Wake up!”

Pancham’s ears perked up and he opened his eyes, looking frightened at first, then seeing Scourge. He let out a cheerful squeak and ran to him, hugging his legs and nearly knocking him over. He was pretty strong for how small he was...

“Woah, woah! I missed you too, alright?” He sputtered, trying to keep his balance. He put his hand on the Pokémon’s head, unable to resist smiling. “Let’s get goin’, okay? You're killing me.”

The other hedgehog-... Manic? He smiled, watching the two with this content look on his face, looking rather proud. “He really likes you, huh? Nothin’ like that bond between you and your Pokémon. Gotta love that!”

“What’re you babbling about?” Scourge asked, looking back at this new weirdo who was suddenly part of his life. He felt that he wouldn't be getting rid of him any time soon.

“Oh, y’know! That friendship?” Manic clarified, his Rattata now perched on top of his head. “Best thing in the world.” He started to walk away, getting back on the path and motioning for Scourge to follow. “C’mon, let’s get goin’! Bakery opens in ten minutes! Gotta get there early if we want somethin’ fresh!”

Pancham squeaked again, sounding excited as he looked up eagerly at Scourge. The hedgehog looked back at the panda, his expression softened into a smile, and he scooped up the Pokémon in his arms, running off after Manic. After all, some fresh bread didn’t sound too bad right about now...


	2. Doduo Rodeo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While making their way towards Sunshade City, Manic finds himself being dragged off the well-trodden path and into a whole mess of trouble, no thanks to Scourge. Fortunately for them, the little weirdo seems to be some kind of Pokémon whisperer.

* * *

“So, you fell outta the sky?”

The dirty forest hedgehog’s bright eyes were filled with curiosity, staring intently at Scourge as he took a bite out of a small loaf of fresh, warm bread. This bakery was just a tiny building on the edge of this town. They were the only people in there, besides the little old mouse woman behind the counter. She was polishing a glass case with some fruity pastries on display and humming to herself. The pleasant scent of bread and sugary treats hung in the air. It felt very cozy in here. Even Scourge could appreciate that.

He took a bite out his own loaf, looking out the window with a disinterested look on his face. Some Pidgey scratched and pecked at the dirt path a few feet away, seemingly unaware of their presence behind the glass. “Yeah, I fall all the time.” He shrugged. “No big deal.”

Manic looked confused, still chewing on his food. “But…” His voice was muffled. He finished swallowing his bite of bread before speaking again. “ _Out of the sky?_ ” He tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. “You sure it isn’t a big deal, man? We don’t usually get fuzzy green meteors fallin’ around here.”

“Green?" _That_ caught him off guard. What was he talking about, ' _green'?_ His jacket was black, so it couldn’t have been that. He shook his head and looked at the window again. He was met with a pair of icy blue eyes. Sure enough, the reflection staring back at him had fur that was a dull shade of green. “ _What the-?_ ”

Manic laughed quietly, but couldn’t suppress the snort that managed to leak out. “What’s with the face? Do you not have _mirrors_ where you come from?”

“Shut up!” Scourge snapped, turning towards the giggly idiot. “I wasn’t _like this_ before! _Somethin’-...”_ He remembered the ordeal with Arceus, and he suddenly wasn’t shouting anymore. His expression shifted from one of anger into pure confusion. How the hell could he explain _that?_ And to a total stranger?

“Some weird shit happened, okay?”

Manic nodded, taking another bite. He calmly skeptical, in a _‘sure, if you say so’_ kind of way. _God,_ that was infuriating...

Scourge honestly wanted to punch him, but something about this dipshit’s baby face prevented his impulses from taking over. Damn him and those… _Fucking_ eyes _._ It was _something_ about his eyes. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but it was definitely that.

... Man, thinking was stupid.

Scourge slammed his hands down on the table. The other hedgehog and his Rattata under the chair both jumped. “I’m _bored._ Let’s blow this joint and find somethin’ fun to do.”

Manic’s initial shock faded away as he started to chuckle somewhat nervously, standing up and brushing some crumbs off himself. “Uh… Sure, if you wanna.” He perked up a little, thinking of some things he could introduce this guy to. “The next town over has a museum! It’s really neat! Wanna check that out?”

Scourge scoffed. _“Museum?_ Museums are for nerds, let’s go have some _real_ fun.”

Scourge was already out the door before Manic could object. He sighed and looked down at Rattata. The Pokémon looked back up at him with a puzzled expression. This guy was weird, but he couldn’t just let him run off, right? He could get lost!

Maybe.

Probably not.

The path ahead was pretty straightforward…

Whatever. He was going to follow anyway. Manic wrapped the rest of their bread in a few napkins and jammed it in his fanny pack before rushing outside, Rattata following close behind. “Yo, Scourge!” The bakery door swung shut behind him. _“Wait up!”_

* * *

A few minutes later, Manic found himself on the usual route he took out of town: a plain dirt road headed east over some gentle hills, lush with tall grass, flowering bushes, and decently sized berry trees. A stream ran alongside the road, glittering in the sunlight. A Lotad quacked as he passed by and retreated into the water. A few Ducklett looked around for the disturbance, answering the Lotad with their own quacks. Two Taillow squabbled over a piece of discarded food in the air, twittering loudly at each other until the smaller one gave up and fled. If he looked closely, he could see a short line of Bellsprout marching through the brush on the other side of the stream, following a Tangela.

All this, but no Scourge.

Manic could’ve sworn that he ran this way. There were no other ways to go, unless he turned around and went into the forest...

_“Psst!”_

Manic’s ears swiveled towards the sound, then he looked up at one of the larger hills — one that was _supposed_ to keep people fenced in and away from the true wilderness — and saw Scourge. He and his Pancham were crouched behind a big rock. It honestly looked like they were up to no good.

 _“What’re you doing up there?”_ Manic hissed back. _“Why’re you whispering?”_

 _“Shh!”_ The hedgehog scolded, peeking back over the rock. _“You gotta see this!”_

Manic looked around.

Nobody was watching.

It was just him, Scourge, and their Pokémon.

... This should be fine.

He managed to clamber his way up to where Scourge was sitting, plopping down in the soft grass. “You find somethin’ cool?” He asked, trying to see if Scourge had anything in his hands. He was a bit disappointed when he didn't.

The sharp-toothed hedgehog grinned. He had this evil glint in his eye as he slowly pointed down the other side of the hill, past the rock and at two small Doduo huddled together on the ground. One of them peeped, adjusted its legs, then returned to its nap. _“See those?”_

Manic looked. _They were so cute…_ He couldn’t help but smile, starting to laugh. “Oh, yeah! I-“

 _“SHH!”_ Scourge clapped his hand over Manic’s mouth. Pancham flinched, but didn’t look too disturbed by it. _“You’re gonna wake ‘em up!”_

Manic froze. That was fair... He did tend to get loud when he was excited. Maybe Scourge was just worried about the babies.

Yeah!

That was it.

 _Definitely_.

After all, who would want to disturb such peaceful little babies?

'Well, okay', he thought. 'Little’ because they’re so adorable, but they were, like… _At least_ a foot taller than him. What did the Pokédex say? Four and a half feet tall? That wasn't that big... At least it not to normal, human-sized people.

Which he wasn't.

Scourge pulled his hand away, still glaring daggers at Manic as a warning, then he hopped up on the rock, settling on it like a cat ready to pounce. He stared at the Doduo with an intense focus.

Uh oh.

_He was plotting something._

_“Dude,_ what’re you-“

Too late.

Scourge hopped off the rock and slid almost silently down the side of the hill, gracefully landing at the bottom. The impact from his foot sent a small puff of dust into the air. What Manic _swore_ was just a green blur zoomed forward and leapt onto one of the birds’ backs. The poor thing squawked and jumped to its feet, running around in circles. Scourge switched rapidly between maniacal laughter and thrilled screaming. Manic watched, horrified. _How did he think this was fun?!_ The other Doduo cried out, running away and disappearing into a patch of thick foliage.

 _“DUDE, **NO!”** _Manic yelled, vaulting over the rock and sliding down the hill himself. His landing was a lot more clumsy, and he tumbled over himself once he reached the bottom.

Scourge gave a loud whoop, either not listening or purposefully ignoring him. He clung to the Doduo for dear life, a huge smile on his face.

“MANIC!” He almost slipped, nearly sitting sideways as the Doduo tripped all over itself. Scourge laughed. _“YOU GOTTA TRY THIS!”_

All three feet of Manic’s Pokémon-loving self was deeply offended. Why would anyone even _think_ about trying to ride a wild Pokémon!? It’s dangerous, and those were just babies! That wasn't cool! Manic took a deep breath and huffed, but an ear-splitting noise startled him.

Something screeched.

Something _big._

The bushes shook, and out stepped a massive and _very angry_ Dodrio. The other baby Doduo was standing behind it, its two heads looking around worriedly. One was following Scourge and what Manic could only assume to be its sibling, and the other was staring at him, beady eyes filled with fear.

The Dodrio instantly took in what was happening to her poor baby, and all three of her heads flared their feathers, making another horrible shriek.

Scourge quit laughing. _“WHAT THE-!?”_

Manic winced.

_This wasn’t going to end well._

The Doduo Scourge was riding finally kicked him off and ran away, making a beeline towards its mother. Scourge hit the ground hard as the Dodrio charged. When he opened his eyes, all he saw was three angry bird heads and a pair of huge claws gunning for him.

_Uh oh._

He rolled to the side, just barely avoiding being trampled as he got to his feet.

The Dodrio stopped and turned around. It had fire in its eyes, staring down at Scourge. _If looks could kill…_

God, this was terrifying-... Wait, what was he thinking? No way an oversized three-headed kiwi with a bad attitude would scare _him_ away! He picked up a stone, pointing towards the middle head and putting on a confident smirk. “You want a fight? _I'LL GIVE YOU A FIGHT!_ ” Scourge shouted, reeling back. He chucked the rock as hard as he could, and-  
  
The middle head _caught it._

Scourge chuckled. He started to walk away, dragging his feet and raising his hands in front of his chest. _Damn it, how’d it do that!?_ Bullshit, that’s what it was.

 _“Heh..._ Can I try again-?”

Dodrio squinted, its rage building. It threw the rock on the ground and stomped on it. When the dust cleared, only a miserable pile of pebbles remained.

 _“_ _Oh._ _”_

Well, _shit_. 

The three heads screeched again, when-

_“ **STOP!!!”** _

The bird halted in its tracks. Manic had jumped in between the creature and Scourge. He stood there shakily, panting as he stared up at this… _Enormous thing._ He had his hands held out towards the Pokémon in an attempt to distract it. This felt like a horrible idea, but… _He had to try._

“ _Ma’am?_ ” He squeaked. It was a wild guess.

Well...

Not really.

“I know you’re mad, but... _Please?_ He didn’t mean to hurt your baby!” He glanced back at Scourge with a grim expression. _Hopefully_ he’d take the hint.

Scourge blinked.

What the hell just happened?

No way did he just-...

For him?

_Why?_

There _had_ to be something else to it.

He shook his head, trying to get out of his own mind.

 _Don’t think. T_ _hinking is dumb._

“Uh… Yeah!” He nodded wildly. “I, uh-... _Fell._ ”

 _Liar_. Dodrio knew it. It stepped closer, squinting at the two hedgehogs suspiciously. She was _really_ close to Manic now. The right head lowered, trying to get a good look at him. Its beak was practically touching the tip of his nose, and it let out a low and aggravated caw.

Manic, trying not to shake too hard, forced a smile. “Hey! I, uh... “ He continued to hold one hand up as he dug around in his fanny pack. A few rings and a pair of drumsticks fell to the ground as he rummaged through, then he took out the bread from earlier. It was squished and crumbs were falling out the sides of the napkin ball, but he opened it and held it up to the bird. “How about a trade?”

All three heads became curious. _A thing?_ They all tried to poke at it at once, prodding it with their sharp beaks and leaving small holes in the paper. At least they were interested...

Manic pulled the bread away, taking a few steps backwards towards Scourge. He accidentally bumped into him, and the leather-clad hedgehog froze, putting his hands on Manic’s shoulders. “I’ll give it to ya, i-if you let us go!” He stammered, waving the bread around in front of them, trying to keep their attention. “We won’t bother you or your babies again. _Promise._ ” He glanced back at Scourge again, gently elbowing him in the ribs.

 _“Yeah!”_ Scourge yelped. “I-... _Yeah_. Promise.” He held up one hand, closing his eyes and trying to look like a good boy. He was clearly full of shit. “Scout’s honor or whatev-” Manic elbowed him again, harder this time, and he coughed. _“Ow!”_

Dodrio seemed to accept this, rising to her full height, though she was still squinting at Scourge. Pokémon always _did_ seem to have the ability to know if someone was a good person or not, and it was _very_ clear what she thought of him.

Manic set the bread on the ground in front of him, gathered his things, then slowly started to back away towards the hill they came from, hands in the air. Scourge didn’t seem to get it until a second later — he ended up nervously scrambling after Manic, not wanting to risk getting pecked to death by this murder-bird. Dodrio gave him a sharp caw just before he escaped her reach, as if she were reprimanding him. He shuddered and sped up, climbing back up the hill after Manic. _Stupid birds._

Once the two boys were far enough away, the left head carefully picked up the bread in its beak. She walked back towards the tall grass and the two Doduo reappeared, crying at their mother’s heads. She set the bread down in front of them and watched as the four little heads pecked at it, making all sorts of noises as they enjoyed their treat.

Manic couldn’t help but smile. It was a lot cuter when they were, well… _Not trying to kill someone._

Scourge, however, didn’t look impressed. _So much for that..._ How dare there be consequences for his actions? He scoffed, pulling his shades down over his eyes and walking back down the hill towards the path. “C’mon, bud, this blows.”

Manic looked at him, confused. ‘Bud’? That was friendly-

Pancham squeaked, running after Scourge. The poor thing had been cowering behind the rock with Rattata the whole time.

Oh. _That_ bud. Looks like he got his hopes up a little too soon. His eyes widened and he followed Scourge down the hill, trying his best not to fall this time. “Hey!” He shouted, picking up speed and accidentally ending up in front of the grump. “Yeah, that kinda sucked, but...” He gave him an innocent smile, lowering his head and looking up at Scourge. _Damn that face..._ “Maybe we can check out that museum now?”

“Rattata!” The mouse chimed in agreement. That sounded a lot less stressful than what happened back there.

Scourge lowered his glasses, peeking out over the top of the lenses and raising an eyebrow. This probably would’ve worked better if Pancham didn’t bump right into his legs. Scourge stumbled, ruining the effect. He aimed a quick ‘what the hell, dude’ look down at his Pokémon, then back at Manic. _Damn it,_ what he wouldn’t give for this little idiot to stop giving him those puppy eyes...

It only got worse. Manic raised his eyebrows, his smile only becoming more pure. He knew _exactly_ what he was doing, and he was good at it.

“Ugh! _Fine...”_ Scourge grumbled, looking away and pushing his glasses back up. “We can go to your _stupid museum._ Happy?”

 _“Yes!”_ Manic cheered, pumping his fist in the air and running around Scourge a bit, now standing to his left. “C’mon! Gotta get there before they close!”

Scourge rolled his eyes as the wild child ran off, stopping a few yards away and looking back at him with the goofiest grin as Rattata climbed up his leg and into his hair again. Nothing was really forcing him to stay with this utter dumbass, but _,_ w ell... _Something_ inside was telling him to stay.

... Fuck it, what was a few more hours gonna do? Maybe he’d find a dumpster to light on fire or something. He chuckled at the thought. Bastard. _“Yeah, yeah, I’m comin’._ If ya smile any more, your face’s gonna get stuck like that.” He muttered, starting to walk again. He looked up, showing off his evil little shark teeth in a pointy grin. _“I’ll laugh.”_

Manic giggled. “Hey, Slowpoke! Race ya there!”

_Oh, little did he know..._

Scourge laughed, humming through his nose as he kicked a pebble down the trail. Who knows? Maybe he’d give this kid a few minutes head start.


	3. A Learning Experience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caught in the act while stealing a piece of an exhibit, Scourge is confronted by Sunshade City's own gym leader, Vanilla the Rabbit (and her daughter, Cream). Let the battle begin!

“Welcome to the Sunshade City Museum of Natural History!” Chimed the woman behind the counter. “A child’s ticket is ₽50, while Pokémon are free to enter. Would you-”

_C_ _hild?”_ Scourge growled at her and stepped forward, just about ready to climb on top of the counter. _“Do I-”_

“Two tickets, please.” Manic interrupted, holding up one hand to hold Scourge back and digging in his pack with the other. _“_ _One… Second…_ _”_

Scourge blinked. This little idiot didn’t even hesitate to try to hold him back, not like that single hand would stop him. _Child tickets…_ Bullshit. How old did this lady think he was? He definitely wasn’t a child. He stepped down, muttering profanities under his breath. Fucking… _Child tickets…_

Manic finally managed to fish some money out, but not before dumping literally everything he had in that bag on the counter: a scuffed up and faded Pokéball, two newer looking ones, a Premier Ball, several dozen berries, two bottles of some mysterious green liquid, a Repel, a length of rope, a single Potion, a small bag of reddish dust that sparkled in the light, a round rock, another rock with a green leaf impression on it, a few more rocks, _even_ _more_ rocks… Damn, how many rocks did he have? Lastly, he set down a pair of drumsticks that Scourge recognized from earlier, and a half-eaten Lava Cookie. Manic separated ten rings from the pile and pushed them towards the lady, then hurriedly tried to shove everything else back in the bag. Scourge had been watching in a curious silence. How did all of that fit in there…?

The woman winced as the clutter piled up, but accepted the rings with a relieved and mildly amused sigh. She put them into a cash register and handed him two slips of paper with a smile, as well as a colorful brochure. “We hope you enjoy your stay!”

Manic flashed a smile back at her, taking the tickets and handing one to Scourge. “Thanks!”

Scourge stared down at his. It was a cream colored ticket stub, printed with a cartoonish caricature of an Omanyte wearing a hat. He hated the damn thing. Just looking at it filled him with an unnecessary and indescribable rage. Why did Manic think he’d want to _keep_ this garbage? He crumpled it up and threw it at a trash can by the counter. He missed, and it bounced unheeded to the floor as he passed by.

The two walked past the counter and into a large central area with a symbol on the floor in the shape of a Pokéball, followed by their Pokémon. It was oddly empty, except for a few glass cases against the walls and several skeletons suspended from wires above them. Through a large corridor they could see even more bones, all of them posed in what looked like some sort of battle scene. This may have wowed everyone else who came into the museum, but not Scourge. As someone who had seen, and _been in,_ hundreds of fights, long dead animals posed in a weak imitation of one just made him yawn. 

Manic was the exact opposite. “Check that out!” He gasped. He pointed down the hall towards the fossil display with a huge smile on his face, bursting with excitement. “They’ve got a Tyrantrum skeleton now! C’mon, let’s go!”

“Wh-” Scourge began way too slowly. Manic and his Rattata had already ran off. _Figures…_ Sighing loudly, he eyed one of the low glass cases. Something sparkling in it caught his eye. _That_ looked like it had potential… He smirked, looking down at Pancham. “Whaddaya say we grab a lil’ souvenir?”

The tiny panda Pokémon returned the grin and gave his trainer a happy squeak, excited at the thought of theft.

Scourge laughed. Picking Pancham up, he dashed over to the display case. Inside there were three things, all labeled with tiny gold plaques to describe them — a Helix Fossil, a chunk of Old Amber, and a Dome Fossil, each remnants of some ancient Pokémon he had never heard the names of. Not like he cared… His eyes were locked on the shiny orange crystal in the center. That _had_ to be worth something.

He looked back towards the front desk. Nobody was watching. To the left, a few people were taking pictures. To the right, a guard stood leaning against the wall, his hat tilted down so the brim covered his eyes. He looked like he was asleep.

_Perfect._

… Now the only issue was getting into the display quietly.

Taking a deep breath, he ducked under the railing preventing people from getting too close. Running his fingers along the edge of the glass, he found a part he could try to lift, attempting to jiggle the glass, and to his surprise, it wasn’t secure. The only thing stopping people from taking this junk was the stupid rail and a hinged cover? People were way too trusting here…

Oh, well. It worked out _just fine_ for him.

Pancham squeaked, laughing quietly as he reached out and grabbed the stone, holding it carefully in his front paws. He smiled. Looking up at Scourge, his ears perked up and he squeaked again. What an _adorable_ little criminal.

“That’s _great!_ ” Scourge whispered as he shut the case, ducking back under the rail and rubbing Pancham’s head. _“_ Let’s get the heck outta here before we- _Oof!_ “ He’d tried to run, but slammed directly into someone.

“What the…?”

Looking up, he was met by the judgemental gaze of a tall rabbit. Physically, she looked calm, but something in her eyes was indescribably angry. A small child was with her, peeking out from behind her dress. She was carrying a Buneary. Its fur was a very odd shade of blue, and it had a red bow tied around its neck. It shared the same disapproving face with the tall woman. It looked just about ready to fight him itself. _Feisty little thing_... 

“You know that the sign says ‘do not touch’, correct?” She asked with a tight smile. It wasn’t kind, that’s for sure.

“Um-“ Scourge coughed. _“Excuse me?”_ Where the hell did this lady come from!? How did she sneak up on him like that?

Pancham suddenly became afraid, trying his best to curl up in Scourge’s arms and hide the jewel. Being so small, he wasn’t doing a very good job.

“No need to act innocent, young man.” The woman said sternly. “I know what you did, and I know that fossil doesn’t belong to you. I’ll give you _one_ chance to put it back without consequences. I would suggest that you accept my offer.”

Scourge rolled his eyes. Who did this old lady think she was?

“What are you, a cop?” He scoffed, every syllable dripping with malice. “ _Fuck off._ ”

The woman paused. How rude could someone _possibly_ be? “I may not be a police officer...” She began, sounding increasingly agitated. Her fake smile was turning into a more angry expression. _“But I do know a crook when I see one.”_

_“Yo, Ms. V!”_ Cried a cheerful voice. The tension was cut as Manic ran in, his Rattata once again perched on top of his head. “Didn’t know you were here! What’s up?”

The woman briefly turned away from Scourge to greet Manic, but...

“Hello, mister Manic!” The small child behind her chirped. The Buneary in her arms lightened up immediately and trilled in excitement, waving its paw. “How are you today?”

“Doin’ great!” He laughed. “It’s nice to see ya!”  
  
Vanilla smiled at him. This was an actual, kindly smile, soft and gentle. That loving mother’s smile that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. “Lovely meeting you here, Manic.” She said, her long ears swaying behind her back. “I assume you aren’t here to challenge me, are you?”

Manic’s pleased look turned into a grimace as he settled down, chuckling nervously. “Uh… _Nah..._ I don’t think so.” He rubbed his neck, looking down at his shoes. “Not today, anyway.”   
  
Rattata started to look a bit squeamish as well, his nose twitching. “Rattata…”

Vanilla nodded. “Very well then. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to take care of this _thief_.”

Scourge, still standing there, let out an irritated sigh. “Listen, lady, I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about-”

The Old Amber clattered on the floor at his feet, and the whole room went silent. Pancham was trembling like a leaf.

_“_ _What the hell, dude?_ _”_

Pancham squeaked, looking up at Scourge with a sad look in his eyes. This was supposed to be fun, not scary… He had no idea they’d get in trouble. They never really got in trouble before...

Vanilla picked up the stone and looked at Scourge, the friendliness melting away again. She gave him a condescending look, holding up the amber and shaking it slightly with an expectant stare.

The hedgehog choked.

_Fuck._

“I, uh-... I have no idea how that got there.” He said, forcing himself to laugh. “This’s all just a big misunderstanding!”

“Do you _really_ think I’m going to believe you?” Vanilla asked. “A strange, thuggish boy who, _in all my years of being here_ , I have never seen before in this town? In fact, I believe someone like you would have caught my eye in my travels around this region. Where are you from, anyway?”

Scourge’s ears flattened against his head. He’d never admit it, but this lady was… _Intimidating as hell._ “Wh-... _Wouldn’t you like to know?”_

Vanilla squinted.

“Woah, woah!” Manic interjected. “There’s gotta be a way to wrap this up nicely, right? Uh… How about a battle?”

“Wait, what-”

“If he wins, he gets to keep the rock, but if you win…” He looked up at Vanilla. “You get to keep it for the museum, and I’ll show him the door. How’s that sound?”

Vanilla contemplated this for a moment, then smirked and took a Pokéball out of her purse — a Luxury Ball. “Very well, then. In that case...” She looked at Scourge again with a mischievous glint in her eye. “I challenge you to a Pokémon battle.”

“Wait, _right now?”_ Scourge asked, shocked.

“Yes.” Vanilla confirmed, Cream peeking out from behind her once more. “ _Right now._ You can’t decline an invitation to battle, especially from a gym leader. After all, that would be _very_ rude.”

Scourge growled. There was no way he’d back down, _especially_ now that this damn rabbit decided to stick her nose where it didn’t belong. _“Fine!_ I’ll accept your dumb invitation! Me and Pancham could beat you anytime, _anywhere!”_   
  
Vanilla nodded, then walked to the far side of the room. “Would you like to go first?”

A crowd formed a ring around them. Scourge muttered something under his breath. This _sucked._ This lady couldn’t be so tough, right? _Come on._ So what if she’s a gym leader? This town looked like one of the shitty ones where the ten year olds come to train, at _best._

“Piece of cake, right?” He said, looking down at Pancham again. “You can take whatever she throws at ya!”

Pancham still looked nervous, but squeaked back at Scourge. His trainer believed in him! That had to be worth _something!_ Eager to fight, he ran into the ring. Maybe this would be fun? It had been a long time since they battled!

Vanilla smiled again, tossing the Luxury Ball into the ring. There was a flash of red light and a puff of smoke. The cloud quickly dissipated, revealing a Lopunny standing on the other end of the room. Pancham froze. This Pokémon was so much bigger than he was, and it looked… _Mad._

“Pancham, Body Slam!”

His ears perked up and he looked back at Scourge. The hedgehog was pointing at the Lopunny, his usual toothy grin plastered on his face, but… _Pancham didn’t know how to do that._ He squeaked softly, confused, then looked at Lopunny.

It was still staring, looking even more menacing than before. It didn’t show any signs of doubt. Something in its eyes was… Shrewd. Calculating. Serious. Just like its trainer. He didn’t like it very much...

Pancham tried to focus. He pulled his sunglasses down over his eyes and ran for it. Scourge cheered, and-

A small black and white mass was launched across the room.

Everyone flinched.

The battle had barely even started, and Pancham had already collapsed onto the floor in a furry heap, knocked out cold.

Scourge was stunned. “Hey, that’s not fair!” He glared at Vanilla, clenching his fists. “You cheated!”

“In no way did I cheat.” Vanilla replied, raising her voice. She sounded offended. “How dare you accuse me of such a thing?”

Scourge wasn’t listening. All he knew was that he was pissed, and that this was somehow unfair. _“STUFF IT!_ I’LL FIGHT YOUR DUMB BUNNY MYSELF!”

Manic’s eyes widened. He reached for Scourge’s shoulder, intending to stop him, but-

“ **_AAAH!!!_ ** _”_

Scourge ran for the Lopunny, taking a swing at it, but it disappeared in a red flash just before impact. He stumbled forward, his raging cry interrupted by a panicked yelp as he fell forward.

Manic ran up to him, caught completely off-guard. He was too worried to wonder why the hell Scourge would even think of attacking a Pokémon on his own… Kneeling down, he held his hand out in an attempt to help. “Dude, _what’s wrong with you?!_ ” He asked in disbelief. “Are ya hurt? Why’d you-”

Scourge was just ignoring everyone at this point. All he cared about in the moment was his Pokémon. Everything felt sort of unreal. He stood up, rushed over to Pancham, and picked him up gently. His ears flattened against his head. There was a big bruise on the panda’s stomach. _His friend got hurt, and it was all his fault._ He felt a lump growing in his throat. His vision started to get blurry. _God damn it…_

“ _I’ve got you, bud…_ ” He croaked. He held Pancham closer to his chest, closing his eyes. “ _We’ll get her back…”_

_“... I promise.”_

“Uh… _Dude?_ ”

“... Huh?”

“I, uh-...” Manic mumbled. “We should _probably_ get him to a Pokémon Center… There’s one down the road, I-”

“Oh, _really?!_ I had no idea!” Scourge snapped. _“No shit.”_

Before Manic could respond, Scourge had already shoved his way through the crowd, disappearing in an instant. He sighed, looking at Vanilla. “Why’d ya have to bring _her_ out, Ms. V? You know what she’s like...”

Vanilla shook her head slightly, shifting her ears behind her. She adjusted the cuff of her glove as she walked up to him. “He needed to be taught a lesson. I couldn’t let him go unpunished, could I?” She glanced at the front entrance, then looked at Manic again. She did feel a bit bad about this whole thing, but not bad enough to let someone get away with attempted theft. Ironic, given who she was talking to... She started to dig in her purse again, sighing. “If either of you would like to challenge me again, I’ll be waiting here.”

Manic raised an eyebrow. “Will it be, like… _A fair fight?_ ”

Vanilla laughed and pulled something out of her purse. “Yes, a fair fight! Silly boy...” She gently grabbed one of Manic’s hands and set what she had in his palm — three Lava Cookies. “Here, take a little treat for you and your siblings. Make sure you _share it_ this time!”

“Oh, gee-...” He smiled, pulling at his collar. His cheeks were turning ever so slightly pink. “Thanks! I-...” He looked around. He really didn’t like this crowd… “I’m gonna go make sure he doesn’t get lost.”

The rabbit waved as he ran out. “Goodbye! You two stay out of trouble, okay?”

He turned to shout back once he reached the door, waving frantically. “Will do, Ms. V!”

* * *

  
  


“Scourge?”

...

_“Scourge…!”_

Manic’s voice echoed through the streets. No answer. He had gone down every path in the city, which was growing quiet and dark as the sun went down. Where could he be…? Sunshade wasn’t big, and he wasn’t in the Pokémon Center, so where else could he have gone? He wouldn’t have gone to the museum again, that’s for sure. The only other buildings in this town were a few shops, closed for the evening, and a couple houses lining the streets. He looked down at his Rattata. The Pokémon was sitting on the brick road, grooming himself as usual. His ear twitched, and he looked up alertly at Manic with bright, beady eyes. Manic smiled. It was nice having company.

“Think we’ll find him?”

The Pokémon got to his feet again. He dashed forward, sniffed at the air, then ran back to Manic. “Rattata!”

“Why’s your mind always on food?” He asked quietly, trying to suppress soft laughter. “We can grab a snack when we’re done _,_ okay?”

Rattata seemed content with this answer. His ear twitched again, then he scurried up Manic’s leg, up his back, and onto his head. It got comfy in his messy quills and laid down. Sonia always used to say his hair looked like a Rattata’s nest, but he never took it seriously. Maybe that wasn’t so far from the truth after all… Especially when his Pokémon _insisted_ on sleeping in it _._

Manic took a deep breath and cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting just _one more time_.

“ _SCOURGE!”_

_“RRRATTATA!”_

Manic chuckled. They were doing their best...

A few passersby gave them some judgemental glances. Manic returned their looks with a sheepish smile. Oops... The last thing anyone in this town would want was some idiot and his Pokémon screaming in the middle of the road, especially at this time of night.

Scourge didn’t _leave,_ did he? Manic’s heart sank at the thought. Not again... Just when he thought he had made a new friend, they ditched him. Or... Maybe he was too quick to think that people would abandon him.

Yeah.

He was probably just overthinking all of this. It was late, and they both hadn’t eaten yet. Manic chided himself; he was being too quick to give up. Sonic wouldn’t tolerate any of that. He couldn’t let his brother down!

He heard footsteps from behind and froze. Dark, shady street corner, middle of the night… _Was he about to get mugged?_ He didn’t even have anything worth stealing! Unless he just happened to find _another_ kleptomaniac with an interest in cool rocks… No! _Focus!_

“Listen, I don’t-”

“Miss me, fuzzhead?”

Manic gasped. He turned around, and- There he was! _Scourge!_ He smiled, trying to hide his excitement, but… He was just _so happy!_

“Dude, you’re here!” He said, perking up. “Didn’t ya hear me callin’ you just now? I was getting worried!”

Scourge crunched on a half-eaten candy bar, tired and generally disinterested. He simply shrugged.

“Eh… Maybe.”

_“Maybe?”_ Manic echoed. His smile wavered. “That’s all you’ve got? Come on! I was startin’ to think-”  
  
“Don’t waste your breath, kid. Nobody’s gotta worry about me but _me_.” He interrupted. He took another bite out of his candy bar. “Went to that Pokémon Center you talked about. Pancham’s bein’ taken care of. Thought I’d leave for a sec, find somethin’ to eat.”

Manic raised an eyebrow, then he started to laugh. “Ha! We were just about to-...”

“... Wait, _are you okay?_ You sure made a scene back at the-”

_“Don’t remind me.”_

The look on Scourge’s face froze Manic into silence. He didn’t really want to know what would happen if Scourge got any angrier with him. “Oh. I, uh-... _Sorry_ .” Bad feelings made him want to eat. Not the best response to sadness, but nobody was around to scold him for it. He dug around in his bag, pulling out one of the Lava Cookies and taking a big bite out of it. “Y’know…” He chewed and swallowed. “Vanilla said she’d let us battle her, if we wanted to. Like… An _actual_ battle. A fair one! Not like-”

_“Get to the point already._ ” Scourge commanded, tapping his foot. _Man, was he impatient..._

Manic paused. This constant interruption was ruining his flow… “Well, uh-... You like fighting, and I like to explore and stuff…” Manic shifted his weight to one side, glancing away. “Maybe we could, um… Take on the gym challenge? You and me?” The hope that Scourge might say yes cheered him up a bit. “It’ll be fun! I can show you all the cool stuff we’ve got here! Maybe you can meet my brother! It’ll be great!”

Scourge opened his mouth to say that was the dumbest idea he’d ever heard, but then he stopped to actually think about it for a moment. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea. Running around, beating up some powerful Pokémon, getting stronger… Becoming _champion._ Being _the very best..._ Getting revenge on the scary lady who looked like an angry librarian who _totally cheated during that fight_ . That was _definitely_ something he’d like. He and Pancham could be _unstoppable._ Having this little weirdo jump in to defend him whenever there was trouble wouldn’t be so bad either… 

He took another bite of his candy bar. “Y’know what? That wouldn’t be _too_ terrible.” His words were muffled through his mouthful of food. “I can’t think of anything better to do anyway.” That mischievous smile started shining through again, though it was marred by the chocolate on his teeth. “Might as well.”

“Really!?” Manic shouted, eyes sparkling with excitement. He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down. “I mean… _Really?_ You’d go traveling ‘cross country with _me?_ ”

“Don’t make me question it, fuzzball.” Scourge replied. He crumpled up the candy bar wrapper and tossed it over his shoulder, turning on his heel and walking away. “Let’s get a move on, we haven’t got all day.” He stopped, looked up at the sky, then started to hurry along again. “Or night, or whatever… You know what I mean.”

The somewhat unfamiliar feeling of pride began to swell in Manic’s chest. He never thought he’d get the chance to go on a big adventure again! Especially after his siblings had grown up and left to do their own things… 

Putting on a confident smile, he and his Rattata ran after Scourge down the lamplit street, eager for the adventure that lay ahead of them.


End file.
